XFL Kickoff and Extra Point Rules Explained

The Super Bowl may have come and gone but that does not mean it is the end of professional televised football, as the XFL is underway for its inaugural season. Fans of the NFL may be a little bewildered by some of the unorthodox rules implemented by the new league.

In the XFL, extra points and kickoffs are handled in a monumentally different manner than its NFL counterparts. After a touchdown, the kicker is not utilized at all for extra points and teams have the option to add one, two, or three points to their score.

If teams are interested on tacking an extra point they are going to have to run another play from the 2-yard line and find the end zone. For two points they will need to score from five yards out and a whole 10 yards for three extra points.

The kickoffs have changed immensely as well from the National Football League. The kicker will kick from their own 30 yard line rather than the 35 and have to kick it to at least the opponent's 20-yard line to avoid a penalty.

The coverage team will line up on the opposing 35-yard line and the return team is on their own 30-yard line. Coverage teams are not allowed to move until the kick returner has touched the ball or three seconds after it hits the ground.

The new kickoff rules were implemented in hopes of preventing injuries during the play all while encouraging kick-off returns.

As we have witnessed many experimental football leagues fail, the XFL wants to add some flare to their football to avoid the collapse these leagues underwent.